Regional News category, Page 330
Westmoreland Diversity Coalition to host former skinhead as keynote speaker
The Westmoreland Diversity Coalition is joining Saint Vincent College, the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, Adelphoi and the YWCA to sponsor a keynote speech this month by former white supremacist Arno Michaelis. Michaelis, author of “My Life After Hate,” will speak on his experience at 9:15 a.m. Aug. 29 at...
Nick Cumer, Dayton shooting victim from Western Pa., was ‘someone we all could look up to’
Nick Cumer spent many long days and nights at Washington High School polishing his craft on the trombone. But, when he enrolled as a freshman at Saint Francis University, Cumer was told that the Cambria County school’s newly forming band had enough trombone players. What they needed was someone who...
What you do when a shooter strikes could save or cost you your life
The median police response time to an active shooting incident is three minutes, according to FBI statistics. While fast by law enforcement standards, potential victims are essentially on their own in those first critical minutes. “Most of the violence is over in less than five minutes,” said J. Pete Blair,...
State fines Uniontown mayor for votes to promote himself, daughter to public positions
Uniontown Mayor Ed Fike has been cited for a conflict of interest violation stemming from his appointment as mayor in January 2018, the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission said Monday. Fike must reimburse the city $2,446.04 and pay $500 to the state ethics commission for violating the Public Official and Employee...
Safe2Say fields tips, puts focus on mental health services for students
Between Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, almost 3,240 calls were reported through Pennsylvania’s Safe2Say Something Program, a 24-hour tipline that allows students, parents and teachers to anonymously report something suspicious online or from a person who poses a threat to themselves or others. According to a report released by Pennsylvania Attorney...
Prices at the pump fall in Pittsburgh, nationally
Average gas prices in the Pittsburgh region dropped 1.5 cents per gallon in the past week to $2.94 on Monday, according to the price-tracking website GasBuddy.com. That’s 1.4 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, and 19.8 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average is...
Trump postpones Beaver County visit in wake of mass shootings
President Trump has postponed this week’s planned visit to an ethane cracker plant under contruction in Beaver County in the wake of this weekend’s mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, the White House and county officials confirmed Monday. Trump had been slated to visit the plant site Thursday. “In...
How to get a Real ID driver’s license (it’s not that hard)
Here is what you need to know to get a Real ID driver’s license. First, be aware that “Real ID” is a process, not a specific identification. There are various types of Real IDs, such as a U.S. passport or card, permanent resident card and federally recognized tribal-issued photo ID,...
Allegheny County leading in number of Real ID cards
More than 28,000 Allegheny County residents applied for and received a federally enhanced driver’s license and ID card in the first three months of Real ID in Pennsylvania, state transportation data shows. No other county had more. The roughly 7,600 cards issued in Westmoreland County placed it in the top...
Washington High School grad among dead in Dayton shooting
A Washington High School graduate was among the nine killed in a mass shooting at a Dayton, Ohio, bar early Sunday. Nicholas Cumer, 25, graduated from the Washington school in 2012, his family said. “We are heartbroken by the loss of our Nicholas in this senseless act on August 4,”...
Phillies sue to block Phanatic from becoming ‘free agent’
The Philadelphia Phillies have sued the New York company that created the Phanatic mascot to prevent the green furry fan favorite from becoming a free agent. In a complaint filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the team alleged Harrison/Erickson threatened to terminate the Phillies’ rights to the Phanatic...
Sprint car flips over fence after crash, kills spectator at Williams Grove Speedway
Authorities say a car flipped over the infield fence at a central Pennsylvania speedway and struck a track volunteer, killing him. The Cumberland County coroner’s office said two Sprint car drivers crashed into each other while rounding a turn at Williams Grove Speedway just before 9:30 p.m. Friday. Coroner Charles...
Evening storms leave pockets of Allegheny, Westmoreland counties without power
Stormy weather on Friday evening made for a few scattered power outages in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. In Allegheny County, about 100 Duquesne Light customers in Penn Hills’ Shannon Heights neighborhood near Verona, and about 250 customers in both the Monroeville and North Versailles area were without power as of...
Trump to visit Beaver County ethane cracker plant Thursday
President Donald Trump will make his way to Beaver County next week to tour a soon-to-be completed Shell Chemicals ethane cracker plant. A White House official confirmed the president’s scheduled stop at the $6 billion plant near Monaca on Thursday. Trump plans to speak after the tour about his administration’s...
Flash flood warning issued for several parts of Allegheny, Westmoreland, Washington counties
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued a flash flood warning for west-central Westmoreland County, southeastern Allegheny County and eastern Washington County until 7:30 p.m. Strong, slow-moving thunderstorms are expected to produce localized heavy rainfall that could lead to isolated flooding, according to the weather service advisory. National Weather...
Prosecutor: Bethlehem man killed 97-year-old woman for rent money
PALMER, Pa. — A Bethlehem man has been charged with killing a 97-year-old woman and her son and setting the house ablaze in what prosecutors say was a robbery attempt. Northampton County First Deputy District Attorney Terry Houck said Friday that 37-year-old Derek Rose, of Bethlehem, needed rent money and...
Analysis shows Bernie Sanders with most donors and money in U.S., Western Pa.; Joe Biden still leads in polls
Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders — once again making a play for blue-collar workers — has received donations from across the country, including much of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Maps created by The New York Times show Sanders receiving a higher number of donations across Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh region — areas with...
Times Leader newspaper in Pennsylvania sold to Avant
The Times Leader newspaper in Wilkes-Barre has been sold to a North Carolina media company. The newspaper reports that the Times Leader Media Group has been sold to privately held Avant Publications. The purchase price was not disclosed. Avant’s leadership group includes Scott Champion, whose Champion Media owns five dailies...
Police: Dad put beer in toddler’s baby bottle in Centre County
A Centre County couple is facing child abuse charges over reports that the father put a mix of beer and formula in his child’s bottle. Online court documents show 23-year-old Garrett Gunsallus was arrested this week on two felony child abuse charges, and a misdemeanor assault charge. His former wife,...
State deems large fish kill natural at Somerset County lake
What some people are calling a disaster — an extensive fish kill at Cranberry Glade Lake in Somerset County — is most likely the result of an unfortunate but natural occurrence, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission said. The state agency sent a waterways conservation officers to the lake this...
83-year-old woman reported missing in Greene County
State police are looking for a missing 83-year-old woman in Greene County. According to state police, Haddie B. Baysinger was last seen around 2 p.m. Thursday driving a Gator side-by-side utility vehicle through fields and woods. The vehicle was recovered but Baysinger had not been located as of Friday morning....
80-year-old man dies in Greene County fire
An 80-year-old man died in a house fire in Greene County Thursday, according to the Greene County Coroner’s office. The man’s name has not been released, pending notification of family. He was found in his Morgan Township home after a fire, the coroner said. No other information was released....
Veterans can receive VA services at MedExpress, urgent care facilities
Urgent care services are now offered to veterans through Veteran Affairs urgent care clinics. The program, which started June 6, offers services to those suffering from the flu, minor burns or skin infections at locations like MedExpress, UPMC Urgent Care and MinuteClinic, located inside CVS stores. Retail locations include a...
Columbia Gas on Washington County home explosion: ‘We are deeply sorry’
Columbia Gas is taking full responsibility for a Wednesday afternoon explosion that leveled a Washington County home and injured at least five people. “Our customers deserve safe and reliable delivery of natural gas to their homes,” said Mike Huwar, president and chief operating officer of Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania and...
Starting in Pittsburgh, 981-mile Ohio River paddle benefits mental illness awareness
Three days’ worth of water and clothes and 15 days’ worth of food — check. Batteries and solar panels — check. Mirrored reflector tape on both sides of paddles — check. Joe Solomon was more than ready Thursday morning to launch from Pittsburgh’s Point State Park for a 981-mile kayak...
